Strategy and Fighting the Fewest Battles

Nothing will have a bigger impact on a contractors business over the next decade than putting in a very rigorous process for strategy development and execution.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

The industry is changing rapidly due to technology, a massive shortage of management talent as well as major trends in project delivery and geographic expansion.  

Leadership Tools: Strategic Planning. A General does not plan how to win every battle; they plan how few battles they need to fight to win the war.

Strategic decisions along with the operating rhythms and the feedback mechanisms that ensure execution are the most highly leveraged decisions in the business. 

This is an area where an experienced 3rd party can add significant value.  Find someone that resonates with your team and has experience relevant to your company.  Change the facilitator every few years for fresh ideas. Unless they are really bad don’t change them every year so you have some continuity.  You might consider overlapping facilitators having the outgoing facilitator sit in on your side of the table providing additional continuity.  

Consider bringing in some of your key customers, vendors and subcontractors as part of your strategic planning process.  Whatever you do; don’t underestimate the value of this process.   

Learn More




Definition - Certification
The Verified Ability to do something (skill) to meet a certain level of performance (standard / competency).
General Mattis and Making Speed Part of Your Culture
The concepts of speed, harmony, commander’s intent, and leadership form the bedrock of General Mattis’s philosophy. Make speed your competitive advantage in your career, on your project, and as a contractor.
Definition - Decision Rights
Decision Rights define the business decisions that need to be made, who is involved in making them, and how they will be made through processes, tools, and operating rhythms.